The Infection- a 9 Fanfiction by TheJournal4
by TheJournal4
Summary: A new threat arises from the Factory... A 2nd Generation wakes up from deactivation. There's an infection, a virus that infects the Stitchpunks into turning on each other. Where did it come from? How did they wake it from its slumber? I hope you enjoy my first Fanfiction about my favorite movie ever!
1. Chapter 1

_**"The Infection" by TheJournal4**_

Ø scanned the wasteland for any of the Cat-Beasts. He saw none. He looked back at the Rebels fighting against the machines, they weren't winning. He watched as the machines tore them apart like paper in water.

24 came up behind him with her spear in hand, her optics flashed brightly. He turned to her and the rest of his companions: 72, 85, 12, and 48. He flashed a message with his optics. "No point in trying to help them. Cat-Beasts and other horrors are on the prowl."

His companions flashed their optics in an understanding way. Ø held up his metal hand. His sensors picked up something closing in on them. 24 and 12 raised their spears and got back to back.

85 and 48 clenched their knives tightly. 72 came to Ø's side and handed him his long knife. "Thank you," he flashed. He looked back up just as a Cat-Beast ambushed them. Ø threw his spear into the Cat-Beast's side, it didn't do much.

48 flashed a message to Ø as the beast attacked them. "There's more! AMBUSH!" he flickered in a panic. Ø and 72 watched in horror as more than ten Cat-Beasts attacked them. They could do nothing as they were picked apart one by one.

72 fended off one of the Cat-Beast with Ø right behind her. He watched as 85 tried to fight a Cat-Beast. When he swung his knife with all his strength, the beast jumped away to reveal one of the bullets from the war-machines.

85 struck the bullet and it exploded, Ø didn't see 85 move after that, he just was a motionless Stitchpunk burning away. He looked at all his friends be torn apart. 48 was snatched up by a Cat-Beast then carried off to the factory. 24 was dragged away by many Cat-Beasts.

He couldn't find 12 at all, she vanished amongst the ambush. He looked back at 72, heavily wounded and barely holding her spear. He ran up and took her spear and held it in his right hand with his knife in the left.

He made loud clinging noises with his weapons and flashed," Hey! Big ugly! Come on get me!" then ran into the wasteland. The Cat-Beats abandon the last Stitchpunk and chased after Ø.

72 looked at Ø as he leads them away from his companions. She heard a large whistle in the air. She looked at the sky as one of the Rebel artillery shells came down. She realized that it was going to hit Ø and the Cat-Beasts.

She flickered her optics, trying to warn him of the incoming shell. But as she sent the message…the shell hit the ground. Chunks from the Cat-Beasts went flying. She sat against the rocks, her friends were gone. She was alone.

Her spear came crashing down from the air into the ground at her feet. She looked up at it as it was burning from the explosion. "Ø…" she thought and her head slumped down sadly. She heard the clunking of feet coming towards her. She raised her head and saw 12 hobbling towards her, missing an arm.

12 sat next to her. "They're gone. We're alone," 12 flickered with her optics at 72. "But we're alive," 72 flickered back. They watched as the toxic gas filled the city and killed everyone. The Rebels who launched their final attack shot into the Fabrication Machine's domain then were mowed down by the machines.

They were the 2nd Generation of the Stitchpunks, created by a close friend of the Scientist who gave him a copy of his work. They were sent to gather intel on the Factory but they failed. They were ambushed and nearly all the Stitchpunks sent were eliminated.

Ø, the Professor's first and basic son, had overseen the team. He had chosen the first of the 2nd Generation to be part of the team. No more Stitchpunks were made after the ambush, Ø had the second talisman but it was lost in his demise.

Years later, after the destruction of the Fabrication Machine, the 2nd Generation emerges from their hibernation. As they emerge, a new threat rises from the ashes of the past of the 2nd Generation. An infection. A virus. Designed to turn them against each other. But who made it? Who unleashed it?

The world is now theirs, and they will fight to keep it that way.


	2. Chapter 2

_**"The Infection" Chapter 2**_

9 looked out from the entrance to the library at the crumbling factory. 3 and 4 were off in the library reading, like normal, so they were busy for the day. 7 had went off to check and make sure that none of the machines had received a "return home" message by scouting the entire area.

He held his new lightstaff that he had built again after he used it to destroy the Seamstress. It had only been a week since everything had happened, since he woke the Fabrication Machine and caused the deaths of 2,1,5,6, and 8.

He was supposed to have sacrificed himself against the Fabrication Machine. That never happened. 1 had taken his place instead, the Fabrication Machine destroyed, he must live with the guilt that he killed nearly all the Stitchpunks.

Often, he had wanted that things turned out differently. That he never woke. But he did, he woke and he started their demise. The remaining Stitchpunks constantly tell him that it wasn't his fault, often he would believe them and other times he wouldn't.

The wasteland looked peaceful, the sun beamed down on his burlap and optics. The sun was just coming up, it was the early morning. "No threats, we won't be harmed," he thought to himself and sat down along the edge of the library.

9 looked at the wasteland being filled with sunlight. The dust winds picking up then dropping, picking up then dropping. He looked back at the ruins of the old city, he saw a figure heading towards him.

"9!" he heard 7 call out to him. He waved to her and she waved back while running. She was carrying something on her back. It looked like another spear but it wasn't newly made, it was an old spear looking to have been made a long time ago.

An engraving on the spear said: "24 was here! Machines bite me!"

Not that far off, in the distant corner of an old Rebel Bunker hidden in the wasteland something stirs. Lights flashed amongst the bunker, each from different ends of the bunker. "No over here!" one light flickered. "Over here!" another one flickered in a panic.

The other one moved to the other to see what was the problem. Another flicker of lights occurred between them. The other one saw that their friend was trapped under a pre-world rifle. The other one tried to pull the other one out but couldn't.

"My foot…I…I can't- "the trapped one flickered at the other with worry. The other one tapped their left optic and a flashlight emitted. They looked down at the trapped one's leg, it was crushed completely. "There's…" the other one tried to message the other, "there's nothing that I can do. I have to remove it,"

The trapped one flickered their optics in a panic, stating," No! It's fine!" and watched as their companion looked around for something sharp. They ran off back into the darkness and came back seconds later with a crumbling makeshift knife. A small shard fell off from the knife as the one reached down to cut off their leg.

"It'll be quick! I promise!" and they lifted up the knife. The trapped one closed their eyes as the other one brought down the knife on their leg. The tapped one screamed in pain as the knife disconnected their leg from the rest of the body.

They dragged the now freed one from the rifle out into the open. They flashed their light around, looking for an exit to get out of the unknown darkness. Both felt a small gust of wind coming from behind a cloth. The other one picked up and carried the wounded past the, small yet powerful, gust of wind and into the open.

"Hey, doesn't this place look more, you know, more wasteland-ish?" the one legged one flickered as they looked up at the wasteland. Their companion also noticed the change in the surrounding area. "Yeah, you're right. How long were we out for?" their companion flickered back.

They looked at the remains of old tanks, machines, and old world equipment. They hobbled down the landscape onto the roof of an old tank. They laid down on the tank's roof and looked at the sky.

One turned to the other and flickered," Hey 72, where is everyone? The others: Ø, 24, 85, 48, and 12?" 72 looked at her companion and best friend.

7.


	3. Quick note!

_**"The Infection"**_

Howdy y'all! I hope you're enjoying this FanFic, I honestly don't know if you are because no one had said anything or something. Reviewing or messaging me would help! Thank you! Now back to your regularly scheduled program!


	4. Chapter 3

_**"The Infection" Chapter 3**_

72 helped 7 up. "We got a long way until we find a haven," 72 flickered to 7. 7 felt around her left optics and touched the leather straps that held her left optic together. Leather straps were also around her body to help keep the white leather together.

7's optics flickered uncontrollably for a moment. Her optics played a recording. It was of their creator, the Professor, before his demise. He was young, very young, around his mid-20s or so. He wore an old military jacket and his hair was unkempt.

He had bandages covering his head and shoulders, his eyes looked like those of an old man. He wiped his eyes. He was in a study with multiple bookshelves, the books were burned or filled with bullet holes, an open window with shutters. He was sitting at a desk with some strange artifacts lying on the table.

He cleared his throat and set his hands down on the desk. He picked up an artifact that looked like a talisman. He showed it to the recorder and said," Look my young children. This is the device that I used to create you, now I don't have long until they find me. I tried to make more of you. I sent an expedition consisting of Ø, 12, 48, 72, 24, and 85. Only two of them returned. They were supposed to be able to end it, before humanity fell. But they failed. Ø, who felt like a son, died to the machine. So, 7, I'm having you record the last Stitchpunk that I created. You, 7."

He placed the talisman into the slot and activated it. They could see 7's lifeless body hanging, waiting for the Professor to put his soul into the Stitchpunk. 72 watched in horror as the Professor put his soul into the Stitchpunk, she could her his muffled screams over the blue electricity.

After the talisman finished it work, the Professor fell back from his chair sweating and breathing heavily. "7…end- "the Professor never finished his thought. One of the giant war-machines with its remaining power, filled the Professor's back with bullet holes. 7's recording ended on that note.

7 tapped her left optic a few times before it returned to normal. 72 looked at her with some pity but with some relief as well. 7 didn't have to watch their creator die to the machines. 72 tried to not say anything about the recording. 7 turned to her companion but 72 didn't meet her optics.

"I could still see the recording, 72," 7 flickered. 7 turned around to look at the area before the wasteland. 7's back was held together with some string and a star-looking button. 72 got up and grabbed 7's shoulders, "Hold still," she flickered. 72 unstitched the button and saw 7's exoskeleton.

She poked around and saw a few things hidden away in her leather body. She pulled out a small piece of cloth and showed it to 7. "Would you like a shawl?" she flickered and 7 nodded. She found a few other things, mainly some stitches and such. The last thing she found was a small sickle like object.

She showed it to 7 who held it aloft. She tinkered with it while 72 re-stitched her back. 7 tinkered with it and noticed a small button on it. "Wonder what this'll do?" 7 thought to herself. She pressed the button and the sickle extended like a long spear.

"Nice Hook-Spear," 72 flickered to 7. 7 took the small piece of blue cloth and started to make it a shawl. She put it around her small metal neck and tied it around. She pulled up the shawl and looked at 72. 72 clapped with her hands. 7 felt her left optic again and twisted it, light shined through it.

"Yet again, you achieve greatness- oh my gosh!" 72 flickered in horror as 7's light optics revealed the lower part of her face. 7 had some of the leather that was used to keep her intact around her mouth like a face-mask. "What?" 7 flickered with worry, "what is it!?"

72 held up her hands, trying to calm 7 down. 7's optics went berserk again, like she was reliving a nightmare. "No! Get away from me! Get off me! Get- AGHHH!" 7 flickered like a scream then put the Hook-Spear into its short form again and place it into her missing foot, which fit perfectly. She ran off in the other direction, 72 was frozen with fear.

After a few moments, 72 shot back to reality then chased after her friend. She put the small knife into her zipper then continued to chase after 7. She felt something constantly bounce off her body. She looked down and saw a small harness wrapped around her. She also felt the back of her head and found small strains of carpet used for her hair, along with a small bandana covering the top of her head.

"Odd designs, that or I need to get used to that again," she thought and continued running. Her red stripped burlap with a small part of her body regular burlap. "I really need to see what I look like," she thought and looked up and saw that she was about to run into a metal edge. She ducked and looked back, "That could not have been good!" She looked forward then ran straight into a wooden beam.

7 continued to run away and didn't look back while her friend was knocked out behind her. 7 ran into the Emptiness then into the city, near the library. She hid in a broken-down war-machine, still believing that the nightmare was happening. In her optics, she saw the war with the machines. Rebels running around while fighting the giant war-machines.

Cat-Beasts were everywhere along with other horrors that even the Scientist's creations never had to face. She reached behind her back and un-stitched the button zipper. She started looking around for something, finally reaching into an old doll and pulling something out. She placed it in her exoskeleton then adjusted.

She looked around frantically. "12! 13! 18 and 14!" she called out with her voice. It was an accent that was used during the old times, it was an English accent. She felt something put their hands on her shoulders. She kicked and punched at whatever it was. "It's okay! I'm here! It's me!" the voice said, she calmed down. "7, it's me. It's 9."


	5. Chapter 4

_**"The Infection" Chapter 4**_

9 reached in for 7. Still, 7 kicked at him calling out," No! You are not real!" She scrambled along the inside. 9 still tried to get to her to calm down. "3! Get your sister down here and help me!" 9 called out behind him to another Stitchpunk.

7's mind was still going haywire. She still thought the war with the machines was still going on, she saw everything as a recording, Rebels firing at the giant war-machines that loomed overhead. "Have to get back. Back to the others," 9 heard her mutter. She cornered herself against the machinery.

9 looked at her with curiosity. He thought that there were no more Stitchpunks, he looked at her and realized the possibility that there were more. "What others?" he asked calmly as 3 and 4 scurried over. He held up his other hand for them to hush and to listen.

3 and 4 looked over his shoulder at the other 7. "What others?" he asked again. 7 calmly slid down and started the come out of the machine. 9,3, and 4 backed up. Once she got out, 3 and 4 looked at her optics with sudden interest.

They saw static in her optics, like 8 when he used the magnet. "The others," she said confidently and stood proudly. "The mission: Hunt down the rouge Stitchpunk. Team members: Delta, Sigma, Theta and Ø. Objective: Meet up with the team and hunt the Stitchpunk. Do not kill the Stitchpunk, that is only if necessary."

3 and 4 exchanged glances with 9. "Something else was going on during the war with the machines, a 'rouge' Stitchpunk?" 9 told the twins. "We don't recall anything like that," 3 told his sister. 4 nodded in agreement.

"What's going on?" 7 asked while climbing down the steps of the library. 9 held up his hand for her to wait, the other 7's optics started the clear up. "Mis-mission aftermath: Codenamed: Sigma, Delta and Theta killed by large unknown beasts never encountered before. Survivor: Ø. Rouge Stitchpunk status: No rouge Stitchpunk, miscommunication," 7 said then the static faded from her optics.

She looked around confused and dazed. She looked at 3,4,9, and 7. She started to panic, her pushed 9 out of the way and started to flee. "I got this!" 7 said and chased after the other 7 with her new spear.

The other 7 had more amount of agility than 7 and faster reflexes. 7 had got in front of her at least ten times but was outmaneuvered and outwitted. "She's good, better that you!" 9 called from afar. 7 turned to him and gave him "I'll kill you later" look. "Almost, almost as good as you!" 9 restated.

7 gave a thumb up at the restatement then chased after the other 7 again with 9 and company not far behind. They passed over concrete and ruined cars chasing after her. Later, they entered a small building. The other 7 was still ahead and turned the corner. 7 was close behind her, her spear ready. "I'm going to get you Sheep!" 7 yelled with frustration at the long chase.

As 7 turned the corner, she got knocked in the face with a large pin that sent her on her back. Her other spear flew out of her hand, the other 7 caught it and held it to her neck. "Now who's the Sheep now, BoneSkull?" the other 7 remarked nodding to 7's Skullmet.

"You are soooo dead," 7 snickered and the other 7 pressed the spear closer to her neck. She looked around and saw a spilled ink bottle. She reached inside and dipped her fingers in the ink. She held the spear in her right hand and with her left hand she moved over some of her leather straps and painted a negative sign. "Now you guys better back off," -7 told 7, "I want to be left alone so I can find MY people. And this spear, it doesn't belong to you."

-7 then withdrew the spear and walked away. She left 7 lying there on her back, she put shame on 7 for being helpless. "Oh, dearie," -7 stopped and turned back to 7. "Your little boyfriend, 9, is a dear. I wouldn't stay silent any longer," -7 said then sprinted off into the Emptiness.

9 came rushing in. He saw 7 lying there without her spear. "Oh, should I not- "9 started but 7 cut him off. She got up and pulled down her Skullmet, "Not a word," she told him. She stormed off back to the Library, 9 chased after her asking about what had happened. "Nothing, I tripped over something then she disappeared," is what 7 would say.

"9," 7 stopped and put her arm in front of him, "we need to talk." Before she could speak, two small pebbles were thrown at them. They looked at where it came from and saw a message written in ink along the wall of another building above them. It read:

"Hey 7! Thanks for the spear! Hello 9! Nice lightstaff! - -7"

7 grabbed the pebble and threw it at the ink furiously. 9 just scratched his head at the message. "I HATE that Stitchpunk!" 7 yelled and kept throwing pebbles. They all missed their target. "Wow! You can't aim for anything!" -7 yelled from the top of the building. She waved at 9 who waved back. 7 nudged him.

7 and 9 marched off back to the library. -7 laughed at 7's outburst then looked at the wasteland. "Don't worry, 72. I'm coming to find you," -7 thought then made her way down.

72 woke up and felt her head. "Hey! She's awake!" she heard someone say. Her optics clicked, clearing her vision. "Hey 72, it's been a while," the figure said. 72 saw who was next to her, along with other figures. She was shocked at who she saw.

"Don't freak out, we'll explain what happened," one of them said. It was the rest of her people that she didn't see back at the bunker.

11, 12, 13, 10, the twins 18 and 14, 17, 19, 15, 16. "I-I can't believe it!" 72 flickered excitedly and hugged everyone. "Where have y'all been! We couldn't find you!" 72 managed to flicker. 18 and 14 came up with their optics flashing excitedly. She bear-hugged the two twins. She hasn't seen them since…since so long.

12 came up with her one arm and patted 72 on the back. "It's been too long, we haven't spoken since The Professor put us in hibernation after we got ambushed and almost everyone wounded." 72 looked at 12 confused. "What are you talking about? They're gone, we were the only survivors," 72 flickered.

12 smiled at her friend. "14 and 18," I need you to fix her voice modulator," 12 told the twins who came up and opened 72's body. 18 scurried off behind a small tent and came back with something. 18 handed it to 14 who place it inside 72's exoskeleton.

"Hello?" 72 said as her voice returned. The others laughed. 19 was a large bulky Stitchpunk with one eye and a large blade. 13 held up her small staff with her simple leather body.11 with his stripped burlap and leather body along with a backpack and crossbow.

18 and 14 with their purple and green burlap body. 12 had one half burlap and the other leather. 15 was completely leather and his ink pen fingers and pen. 10 was silent, he had red and yellow leather with a Star of David on his chest and forehead.

17 with her small headband and makeshift necklace along with her leather body. And 16 with her pen and ink along with his book that he always reads. Exactly as she remembered them, she was relieved to have them all there.

"Now that's not everyone," another voice said behind the others. 72 looked behind them and nearly shed some form of tears. It was 24, 48, and 85.


	6. Chapter 5

_**"The Infection" Chapter 5**_

 _ **Heyo everyone! Are you enjoying this Fanfic? I hope so, I put time and effort into this! I decided to increase the chapter length so you get more out of it. If you are enjoying this, please do let me know. Also, if you have any ideas for events or Stitchpunk ideas the message me please! I check the views and such, I don't know if I'm doing well or not. Over 30 people have seen the first chapter but only a few have seen the other chapter and I don't know if that should worry me or not. But regardless… Let's keep the 9 Fandom alive!**_

24's Stitchpunk body was covered with stitches and other fabrics that barley held her together. She had a staff to help her walk with her barely functional left leg. Her left arm was gone, her optics were cracked. Her torn hood covered her broken face. Her identification was stitched all over her body, even on her missing spear's sheath.

85's hood had been stitched into his shoulders where his body had been severely burned. His right hand only had two fingers, one was rusted. The left half of his face was replaced with a piece of leather due to the explosion.

"Your face!" 72 exclaimed at 85. 85 gave a small smile and felt the small patch on the left side of his face. "Remember that bullet I hit with my knife?" he asked 72 who nodded, "It left me like the way I am. Broken and torn." 85's left leg was a crumbling shadow of its former self.

48 emerged from the shadows, he didn't look that bad but had his new scars. His hood had a large cut through it alongside his engraving. His left leg was scarred and an artificial one was in its place. "What's with everyone's left leg being taken or missing?" 72 thought. Their Talisman's symbols were engraved on his lower body.

48 hobbled over with a cane, his hood battling against the wind. He hugged 72 tightly, 72 saw that his optics had a little rust on them. "It's good to see you sis," 48 said and put his hand on her shoulder. She smiled at seeing her brother again.

"48 took charge when we all woke," 17 said walking over to them with 19 at her side. 19's large blade was held on his back by a magnet. His engraving looked old and worn. 72 glanced at her two compatriots, trying to figure out the new vibe she got from them.

"17's right, I did take charge after we all woke from hibernation. I led us out of that bunker out into The Wasteland, as I call it. We've always been moving, not picking any fights with the remaining beast after the ambush that cost us all our fighters long ago," 48 added in. His cane consisted of an old pencil, twine and a ring. He put the ring part over his neck, carrying his cane.

72 looked around at their encampment. Small makeshift tents with a small bonfire in the middle. Rocks and stones used for walls, large planks of wood for a roof with small holes for sunlight. Everyone who wasn't talking to her went back to their normal duties. 19 and 17 went over on the lookout, 13 with the rest of them excluding 10,14, and 18 sat around the fire.

48 extended his hand for 72 to follow him, she nodded and they went outside the encampment. The sun was high in the sky. They could have stared at it for hours. "You know, while we were out here the sun wasn't up," 48 said without taking his eyes off the sun.

"Really?" 72 said and 48 would nod. "Dark skies all the time, no rain, no nothing. Then, it all went silent for a time only to start up loud again. We were out on our outpost along the Wall with everyone when we saw all the explosions and fire. The Factory exploded!" 48 said then scared his sister.

"All jokes aside, that really did happen," 48 told his sister. 72 looked over the horizon at the Emptiness. "You think that there are other Stitchpunks out there?" 72 asked while looking at the old city. 48 shrugged his shoulders and said," I haven't really thought about it. But no, there are no others out there."

"But what about the Factory exploding!" 72 said and 48 looked over at the crumbing factory. "Probably just one of the old oil tanks finally crumbling due to rust or something," 48 answered her. "Well," 72 said," What would we do if there were others?" 48 thought about it for a minute, then finally answered," Meet up, fortify a location, keep the hope of Humanity alive."

72 never mentioned anything about the 7 she met. She just kept looking at the sun with her brother. It had been so long since she had seen him so she just wanted the enjoy the moment.

The hours went by, everyone eventually went to sleep without having to worry about beasts. 10 along with 14 and 18, slipped outside of the camp.

10 looked over at the encampment, everyone was asleep. 18 and 14 were ahead of him, they were heading towards their secret place hidden in the Emptiness. 10 scurried towards 18 and 14 who stopped when they noticed 10 wasn't caught up.

"Sorry, so sorry," one of the twins said as 10 caught up. "We forget that we are more energetic than others," the other twin replied. They looked around to make sure no one was around. All there was the rocks and dust winds that would pick up then die. The went down the small hill that the encampment was placed on.

They scurried down from it stealthily, the remaining shadows would hide them from sight. The stopped when they saw a large disc embedded in the ground. "We hid the map here, right?" a twin asked. 10 gently pushed past them and started digging in the ground.

After a moment of digging, 10's optics flashed. He found what he was looking for, he pulled out a map of the area that they had made. "Excellent, 10," one of the twins congratulated him and took the map. The twins' optics flashed at the map, 10 scurried up behind them and flashed at the map too.

"Alright, let's go!" both the twins said in unison. "Trip! Trip!" 10 said happily and clapped his hands. The twins both gave him a small scratch on his head. "Yes 10. Trip!" one of the twins said and started following the map. They went faster than 10, he could barely keep up. After they realized that they heard only their feet they stopped to let 10 catch up.

They moved at a steadier pace, one that 10 could easily follow. They moved past an old tank with a war-machine on top of it. They had to squeeze past small spaces in between rocks and move under a car that rammed a tank. Finally, they came upon a place where the dust winds were high.

"I forgot," a twin said.

"Forgot what?" the other asked.

"Forgot if this is it or not," the twin replied and pointed to an old hatch coming from the ground.

They looked upon an old hatch with piles of wood covering it. 10 went past the twins and climbed onto the hatch. His optics flickered around for a moment then he turned to the twins. "Home! Home!" he said very excited and begged them to follow him.

They climbed up to 10 who showed them a hole in the hatch for them to use to get in. 18 went in first, they landed on some wooden planks. 18 ignited their flashlight optics and looked around in case there was danger.

18 found nothing that was a threat so they waved to 10 and 14 to come down. 14 went down before 10 and ignited their flashlight too. Then 10 came down and turned on both of his flashlight optics.

They looked around the bunker, it not a soul to be found. "I wonder what our predecessors did here," one of the twins said as their light shined on an old flag. 10 looked around the bunker. He saw old world equipment. He saw syringes and medical fabric, he knew this because they found a library in the Emptiness that was abandoned.

He had a thing for reading, like the twins, and read every book that he found. He could read a large book within a few minutes, the twins took longer to read any book because they read at a different pace than he does. They didn't find anything interesting, they had been to this small remote bunker before so why would they find anything of interest when they've been there a thousand times?

18 tugged at 14 and 10, "We're here." They shinned their lights on a large door with the words: Study. They scurried over to a hole in the door. They went inside and were amazed at the vast amounts of books there was. They may have been there as many times as they could but seeing the Study was still amazing.

"Come on!" 18 said to 10 and 14, pointing to a small rope leading up to an area high above. They all scurried to the rope in the darkness with their small lights. They climbed books that they had placed to get to the rope. 18 climbed onto the first set then leaped over to the second then the third and finally the rope. 14 and 10 did the same.

After 14 leaped to the rope and climbed it to the top it was 10's turn. He took a few steps back. He felt something get caught in his right foot's servos but he didn't have time to see what it was He took a few breaths then ran to make the leap. He leaped off the book and was headed for the rope when something tugged his foot back.

He started to plummet towards the ground. The twins freaked out and ran around for something to help 10. 10 saw what had caught his foot. A page holder.

10 tugged and tugged at the page holder as he plummeted. He heard the rope make a sliding sound. He looked up and saw the twins sliding down with a knife, hoping to catch him and cut the page holder.

"Hang on 10 we- "14 said but 18 lost their grip and crashed into 14 causing them to plummet too. As they were plummeting to the ground, they heard a shuffle along a wall shelf then a THUNK on the desk. They looked up and saw a figure with a spear sliding down the rope as a faster rate. The figure leaped off the rope and flew past the twins and cut the page holder with their spear and threw 10 into a pile of books.

They then latched onto the rope and waited for 18 and 14 to come by then did the same. The twins and 10 landed safely into the books. They looked up with curiosity at who their rescuer was. Their lights turned off when they fell. 10 adjusted his optics and his light turned back on. He saw the figure before them.

Ø.

 _ **I hope you ladies and gentleman enjoyed this installment of "The Infection!" Quite a cliffhanger or something, am I right? I honestly don't know if you all care or not. Most likely don't, I don't know. I promise that there will be more action in the future (don't worry! The conflict will start up soon! I've an extremely long chapter for when it does!)**_

 _ **Here's a little secret code in a cipher I made, remember: 6 letters back then 2 letters forward.**_

 _ **Pda bneop reypei eo 7 sdk'o fahkqo kb 9 wjz 13'o nahwpeki**_


	7. Chapter 6

_**"The Infection" Chapter 6**_

10 looked up at Ø. "Ø," 10 asked the figure. The light shined on the figure's body. It wasn't the Ø that he knew. The Ø was a 20, a scar just ran through the 0. "What are you doing here?" the new Stitchpunk asked. "20," 10 said sadly.

20 was made of corduroy and had a hood like 3 and 4 of the Scientist's creations. His spear gleamed in the produced light. The twins got to their feet and helped 10 up. 20 looked around, his was looking for something. "We shouldn't linger here any longer," 20 told them and pointed to the exit.

"But we just got here!" one of the twins flickered. 20 shook his head and showed them the way out. As they walked to the exit, 20 kept his vigil. Constantly looking around for something. 10 heard something behind him but when he looked there was nothing. He would hear things that weren't there. 10 could have sworn that something was behind him.

20 noticed 10 looking around and his generally discomfort. 10 could hear clicking, tapping, and all sorts of machine noises. 10 was sure that he wasn't paranoid or going insane. Could a Stitchpunk technically even go insane?

20 walked up next to 10 and whispered, "You hear it too, don't you?" 10 nodded his head. 20 looked around, "We aren't alone, something's here," he told them. As soon as he said that, a large noise came from the Study.

20 held his spear and stood in front of the young Stitchpunks. The twins turned off their flashlight optics, 10 shined his over to the noise's direction. They listened, they heard nothing. They waited, still nothing.

"Are we going insane?" one of the twins asked their other half. Before the other one could respond, something came rolling out of the hole from the Study's door. It was small, looked like it was made of copper or some other material.

20 held out his hand for them to wait, he held his spear tight and walked over to the device. He picked it up and examined it. He showed it to the others. It had strange symbols on it, and a red glowing hue. He held it up to his right optics and tapped on the device.

It made a small electrical sound then sent a stream of red lightning into 20's right optic. He didn't scream as it shocked his body. 10 and the twins stood there completely stunned, unable to help their new-found friend.

After a quick minute, the device stopped. 20 dropped it and covered his right optic, screaming in pain as his optic was burned out. 10 rushed to his side, the twins went to investigate the device.

20 looked at 10 as he helped him up. 20 looked at 10 with fear and terror in his eyes. He looked around frantically, "Something's in the Factory! We must destroy it! Are there any others!?" 20 asked.

10 looked at him and nodded. 20 pulled up his hood and grabbed his spear. He grabbed 10's arm and pulled him along. "Come on!" he yelled to the twins. They picked up the device and followed in behind.

They tucked away the device into their exoskeleton body. They reached the hatch but the hole was above them and they didn't have any way to reach it. 20 looked at 10 and the twins, "Where is the others!" 20 asked.

"A mile from the Factory, on top of a hill with rocks piled around it," 18 flickered. As soon as 20 learned the location, he rushed over to the hatch and burst through the wood with sheer strength, the twins followed in behind the new Stitchpunk and 10.

20 led the others all the way to exactly where 18 had told him. 19 was on watch when they arrived at the entrance. "Hey!" he ordered, "what are you doing!" 19 held out his large blade at them. 20 merely jumped onto his shoulders and bounced off over him.

19 grabbed him by the shoulder and held the blade against his neck. 20 disarmed him just as 12 showed up with her old spear. He caused such a commotion that 48 came out to see what the noise was. "What's going on here!" 48 demanded from 20.

20 looked at him with her burnt out optic and told him, "The Factory! I've been there, something's there that we need to destroy!" 48 looked at him, intrigued at this. Normally, if any of the others said anything about the Factory he would ignore it. But hearing this from a Stitchpunk who went deep into the Factory and came back, it worried him.

72 came out with the others, armed with small makeshift weapons. They gathered around 20, they listened as he recounted what he saw. Everyone became concerned with the news and looked to 48 for guidance.

"We deal with it before it deals with us," 48 told them and grabbed one of the old spears. 20 looked around the Stitchpunks for the warriors, "Too few, too few," he muttered. 10 looked at 20 with concern for the bold and warrior Stitchpunk.

20 looked as if he was on the brink of insanity, the fear in his optics. 48 looked around at the others, 20 was correct. There were too few warriors to deal with the threat, but it was all they had. "You're right, there are too few warriors," 48 said and the others looked at him.

"But they're the best of the best," 48 told them. There was a new sense of courage, the others cheered and started to decide on who would go. "20," 48 said and stood next to him, "you decide on who will go with you." 20 nodded, his sanity returned and he became his old self again.

"19, 12, 72, that's who- ""And -7!" a voice said from the entrance. They all turned and looked upon the arrival of -7. She looked way worn and had a few scars that were hastily stitched. 72's face lit up when her friend had returned. She ran up and hugged her friend tightly and yelled, "Where have you been!?"

After 72 let -7 out of her bear hug, -7 explained what had happened when she lost her mind. She told them about the other group of Stitchpunks, the First Generation. There was whispers among the Second Generation.

-7 remembered the current threat at hand, she quickly got everyone back on track to their current dilemma. "We'll deal with this other generation later, first we have to deal with the Factory," 20 ordered. The others nodded.

"What if something goes wrong?" 13 asked 20 who looked to 48 for an answer. 48 stood tall and proud. "You make for the Emptiness, perhaps the Library," 48 told them. The others nodded and started to hand gear to 19, the mightiest of the Second Generation with his large blade.

Once the decision was made, the chosen Stitchpunks told their goodbyes and made their way to the Factory. They wore pieces of old cogs for armor, salt shakers for masks, small pipes and a button for gauntlets. -7 led the way while 20 scouted the area ahead.

While they were heading to the Factory, the remainder of the Second Generation packed up what they could and left their home for the Emptiness. The twins along with 10, kept the device that they found a secret. Because before 20 disembarked, he asked them this:

"My friends, I don't know what will happen when we reach the Factory. The device we found, I know exactly what it is. When I saved you, I knocked it from where it was hidden. It's the Talisman, our Talisman. It's what gave us life, it's also what can take it away. Keep it secret, keep it safe."

The twins decided that 10 should hold onto it, he was better at hiding things anyway. 24 led the remainder of their group all the way to the outer wall of the Emptiness. They encountered dust storms, harsh winds, and rough terrain. It was midnight when they reached the outer wall, they made camp just outside it between some debris.

A few of the Stitchpunks were skeptical at the news of this other generation. They drew harsh conclusions about them before any of them met them. 85 was the most skeptical of them all. He kept saying, "We cannot trust them! Why should we trust this 20?! We should burn the Library!" 13 was one of the leaders who was against 85's idea.

10 had hope in this other generation. He trusted them, he just did. So, did the twins, 24, 13, 16, 15, and 17. They also had some fun with the idea of another generation. 24 came up to 13 and said, "It's going to be nice not having to talk to the same people every day anymore!" They laughed at 24's statement.

The only thing that worried them was the others, the ones at the Factory.

 _ **While the remainder of the Second Generation camped at the outer wall of the Emptiness, the other group arrived at the Factory.**_

20 looked over the hill at a large opening in the Factory. -7 and 12 arrived shortly and gazed upon the opening. "I don't remember that being there when the Rebels attacked," 12 told them. It only worried them.

72 came up with 19 and 48. Their spears, and the short makeshift blades gleamed off the setting sun. "That is new," 72 confirmed when she saw the opening. 19, who was larger than them and about the size of 8, looked at the opening.

He saw the opening as a change, "I don't have to crawl into small places!" he told them optimistically. "So," 48 turned to 20 and the others, "what's the plan?" 20 looked over and pointed to the opening, "We go in, destroy whatever beast is there and get out. Simple."

19, 48, and 72 agreed. 12 and -7 looked at each other with unease. "Nothing is ever 'simple'," -7 told them with 12 agreeing with her. 20 with his last optic, looked at -7 and saw her warrior pride. "I know," he told her. She wasn't relieved.

Around them on that hill was the remainder of a wooden shack and a disc player. "Well," -7 said with little optimism. "What are you waiting for!" she told them and charged down. The others pulled out their weapons and followed in behind her.

20 was the very last one, as he charged down the hill, he saw something tucked away behind a wooden plank. While the others charged in, he investigated the object. He used his spear and pushed the plank out of the way. He was horrified at what he found.

The body of 5. Or, what's left of him, anyhow.

20 looked away and charged down the hill. Despite his attempts, he couldn't forget what he discovered. He pulled the hood over his right burned out optic, now cooled. He quickly caught up with the small strike team.

They entered the Factory with caution. Who knows what could still be active. The got into a small phalanx formation, or at least what 20 thought. 19 held his large blade with caution, but he was ready for anything.

They climbed the rubble and fallen pillars and especially an old bird cage. They kept their vigil, the old Factory was creaking, the Fabrication Machine's old parts were scattered around. 20 stood next to -7, they went back to back.

20 was leading them to where he saw that the threat would be. They stood above the spot, right below the Fabrication Machine if it were still there. They looked around but found nothing. 19 lifted the mask and shook his head. "But…but…it was here, I saw it," 20 said sadly. -7 came up and comforted him.

"SHOW YOURSELF COWARD!" she yelled on the top of her lungs. 19, 12, and 48 stood alert. At first, there was nothing. But after a few minutes, 20 stood up. He was paranoid again, looking all around then to the sky.

"What is it?" -7 asked and held up her spear ready. "Can you hear it?" 20 asked but they shook their heads. Then, they heard it. The ground began to rumble, they became paranoid. "STEADY!" 48 ordered.

Something came flying towards them, the device that 20 found. The Talisman.

It came to the rubble, pieces of the old Fabrication Machine came flying back. "Its…" 20 said speechless. "Repairing itself," -7 confirmed. The Fabrication Machines reformed before them. Completely repaired, except where the Talisman should go there was a chamber.

The Talisman opened, the red lightning shot out at 20. The others watched, horrified. 20 was being shocked by the lightning and tried using his spear to block it. It only blocked out some of it, -7 could stand it no more.

She threw her spear at the Talisman. Knocking it to the ground, the Fabrication Machine stopped repairing itself. It wasn't complete, it was a malformed Fabrication Machine that looked and acted nothing like the original. It opened its chamber and what shocked them was that Cat-Beasts and Cyclopes popped out.

She helped 20 up and carried him to a pipe. The others scattered to other pipes while the Malformed looked for them. The Cat-Beasts scattered to look for the Stitchpunks, the Cyclopes had blades like 19 and hardened leather shells over their exoskeletons.

-7 looked horrified at the machines. She didn't understand! How did the Malformed do this! What caused this!? 20 wasn't responding to her cries. The others, she had no idea where they were.

"We need to move," 20 tried to say. Just as he said that, the Malformed broke open the pipe. -7 was being overwhelmed by the machines. She tried fighting, it was no use. She looked over at an oil barrel leaking. 20 saw it, he knew what she was going to do. If she threw her spear, then the place would explode again.

She let the Malformed grab her. The beasts gathered around, the other Stitchpunks saw their chance and ran. 20 was too weak to run, he wouldn't make it. -7 looked at the Malformed as it pulled her to the chamber. She managed to free her right arm and pulled out her spear, the Malformed caught on.

The Malformed took her spear and broke it in half and placed an iron grip on -7. 20 watched this happen. He saw the Malformed's mistake, it forgot about 20. He saw where the blade of the spear landed and crawled to it. He grabbed it and crawled to the oil. He saw against the barrel. He watched -7 look at him then nod. The Malformed looked at 20 then ordered the beasts to scatter.

"Not this time," 20 said and brought the spear down. The Factory exploded once again, taking the lives of the Malformed, most of the beasts, along with -7 and 20.

The others watched the Factory ignite in flames once again. They would mourn the loss for a long time. Most of the beasts were destroyed but a few got away.

However, the Malformed rose from the ashes. The Talisman also rose, it went up to the Malformed. The Fabrication Machine's mind transferred from the broken body and into the Talisman. The Talisman roamed around the rubble of the Factory. It found the Malformed's chamber with -7's body inside.

-7 opened her optics as the Talisman came to her. "What *cough* in the blazes- "she said as the Talisman opened again. She tried to get away but the Talisman shocked her, the Fabrication Machine infected her. The process was like how it sucked the souls out of the Stitchpunks.

Once the device finished, -7's optics were burnt out. She didn't move, then, her optics glowed red. The Talisman went off to find 20, it found his surprisingly untouched body. It repeated the process then fell to the floor. 20 rose with only one of the optics red, the other was normal.

They were infected.

The Infection had begun.


	8. Chapter 7

_**"The Infection" Chapter 7**_

 _ **A Few Hours Later…**_

The Second Generation walked throughout the Emptiness. The wind was high due to the explosion at the Factory. Their cloaks barely kept out the dust and grim.

11 was at the head of the group. They remained silent. "Are we there yet?" 12 asked as a small pebble passed by her. 11 remained silent. "I guess so," 12 said and the other looked at her then back ahead.

48 looked up at the Library's outer gates. "We're here," he said and the others stopped. "Indeed," 11 said coldly. "Hey," 19 said to 11, "it's not your fault. They did what they had to." 11 thanked 19 and continued on to the gate.

They gathered around the gate, one by one they slipped through the iron bars and into the Library's Courtyard. The storm rolled in, rain came down on their cloaks. Regardless, they continued to the Library.

They came to the steps and started climbing the steps. 13 was lagging, as was the rest of the party except 11. He came up upon the doors to the inner Library. 13 came up to his side.

"Tell me again why we couldn't go to the Bunker? I'd very much like that place" 13 asked. 11 sighed, he had constantly answered this question. "Too close to the Factory," he answered. 13 sighed, the others went past her. The twins flickered, "I should check your memory core," one flickered.

They entered the Library, books were scattered around the place. There was shuffling along the rafters. 11 and the others noted this. As they neared a light source that was far from the entrance, something landed right in front of them.

"More of them?" the figure stated in amazement. Three other figures came from the light source to them. "More of them!" one said happily. "See! There is more of us!" they told the other.

They brought the light to them and it showed their features. 11 raised an eyebrow, if he had one, at their sight. 7, 9, 3, and 4.

"Well, I'll started introductions," 11 said to the other group. "11, at your service," he told them and the other followed in his introduction. Finally, 13 was the last one.

"13," she said and stepped over but tripped, "at your serv- "9 caught her. "I'm 9. This is 7 and the twins 3 and 4. "Funny," 13 said and held her hand out for their twins to come forth, "we also have a set of twins. 14 and 18."

9 laughed as 3 and 4 came up to the other twins. Both sets of twins began flickering. "Cataloging," 13 and 9 said at the same time.

"Now, no falling in love here," 11 said as he came up and pulled 13 behind him. The sets of twins looked at each other, flickered for a moment, then sprinted off into the rest of the library. 7 looked at 13 with anger, 11 caught on which is why he stepped in.

The others looked very curiously at the two First Generation Stitchpunks. "Where are the others?" 72 asked. 9 looked away, 7 patted him on the back. "Gone," she told them. They didn't need to hear the rest, they caught on to what happened to them.

"Please," 9 said to the other generation, "come! Rest in the library." 9 could see that the Second Generation looked tired, sad, and any other word that could describe terrible.

 _ **Hello fellow Stichpunks! This is probably my shortest chapter! This story is going on hold because of school and such. Along with some other side projects. If you have any ideas, then feel free to send a message because I do check them. Anyways, sorry for the long delay!**_

 _ **Sincerely, TheJournal4**_


	9. Update

_**"The Infection" Chapter 8**_

 _ **Hello fellow Stitchpunks and or souls! Why isn't "The Infection" being continued like I hoped? Well there's an answer to that! See, I decided to reboot the series. A 2.0 version if you can call it that. That and another special thing…. Over the past few days I have been trying to gather 9 Authors to help work on a community project. A grand story, including drawings and such. I don't want to give too much away. While trying to gather authors, I will be posting small short stories involving the Stitchpunk of myself (No, not**_ _ **Ø**_ _ **) whose name I'll come up with soon and will mainly involve him interacting with the originals. This however, will not be part of the main story involving the 9 Authors.**_


	10. Chapter 8

**Surprise! "The Infection" is back in action!**

 ** _"_** ** _The Infection"_**

 ** _Chapter 7_**

The Second Generation was welcomed with open arms into the Library. 48 was most surprised when 9 showed them to an accessible area for them to make their new home at. "Please, please, make yourselves at home. Well, this is your home," 9 told them and showed some old spaces for them.

"Thank you," 19 said and clapped 9 on the back. 9 jolted forward, "You remind me so much of 8…well, before…" 9 trailed off but 13 comforted him. "It's alright, we all have our past failures. Especially me," 13 told him. "Thank you, 13," 9 told her and gave her a small smile. "Your smile just brightens up the room," 13 told 9. 9 scratched his head, looking around in case 7 was around.

"13, please don't fall in love. Life expectancy is quite short around here," 11 said as he passed by her with his bag full of arrows and needles. "11!" 48 barked as he chased after 11. "Don't mind 11," 12 told 13 and 9. "When 21 went out and came back nearly torn to shreds, 11 was heartbroken. He can be kind and endearing but there are times when he sees love flourish he should remind us how vulnerable we are to death."

"What happened to 21?" 9 asked 12. "14, 18, show him what you remember," 12 said and the twins scurried over. 14 held 18 in place and twisted her brother's optic. 18 projected his memory of the entire event. 9 watched the event and watched the horror of the events taking place during the war.

In the projection, 18 was scurrying to cover with 14. They watched as machines passed by, gunning down any rebels they saw. 14 pointed to two Stitchpunks waving to the twins and waved for them to book it over to cover. It was 11 and 21. 11 bolted, dragging 21 by her hand. 14 constantly looked up at the machines. 18 kept her optic on 11 and 21. As they ran, 21 kept one hand over her heart.

11 was brave and proud in those moments. He held 21's hand with an iron grip. 9 took his eye from the projection for one moment and noticed a small tear emerging from 12's optic. "Did she know 21?" 9 whispered to 13. 13 looked up at 9, she gave him a nod. "Best friends."

9 turned his attention back to the projection of the memory. "11! Look out!" another Stitchpunk said in the memory. 11 stopped in his tracks and turned around. The machines took notice of them and opened fire on them. "11!" 21 screamed. The rounds from the machines crashed against the concrete ground. 11 and 21 dove for cover in some debris.

The rounds kept hammering the debris they hid under. The debris didn't hold long, one round broke through. It nailed the ground between 11 and 21. "We can't stay here!" 21 told 11. "Something will draw them off, it normally goes like that!" 11 told her. 21 didn't listen to 11, she booked it. "21, no!" 11 yelled then took off after her.

They barely managed to dodge the rounds fired from the machines, they came crashing down all around them. "21, get- "11 yelled but stopped when he saw the one fear that changed his young life.

A bullet went straight through 21's left optic. 11 watched as the one he truly loved fall. 11 rushed to 21's side, "NO!" he screamed. "11, get over here! NOW!" 72 ordered as the twins saw her enter the conflict. "You two, over there! NOW!" 72 ordered and pointed to other Stitchpunks waiting for them. As the twins scurried off, 18 looked back and saw 72 pulling 11 away from 21.

The memory ended. 14 held 18 as she recovered from the long projection. 9 looked down then he looked over at 11 sitting with his back against the wall. "They just left her there?" 9 asked 12. 12 looked down then over at 11. "It wasn't our finest moment, we were all scared. Especially me." 9 looked at 12 shocked. 12 was an amazing warrior even though she had one arm, and here he learns that It never used to be like that?

9 looked back as the others came in. 15 and 16 piled into one room with two beds. 19 came by and picked up 12, putting her on his shoulder. "Come on, I think they might have a delightful book or two for you to lose yourself in," he told her. A smile appeared on 9's face. "3 and 4 might have some for you," 9 told 19 and 12. "3, 4!" 9 called out. The twins came scurrying out with their optics flashing.

As soon as the original twins came out, a smile came on 14 and 18. They scurried over to meet them, their optics flashing like crazy. 13 and 9 laughed as each set of twins constantly tried to get each other to stay still. 12 and 19 smiled at each other when they saw 13 and 9. Even old 48 gave a small chuckle.

10 saw them laughing, he twitched his fingers like crazy. "Book. Happy," 10 said to himself then scurried off to follow the path 3 and 4 took. "Book, book, book," 10 kept muttering.

7 sat outside the entrance on watch, she looked back and forth at the interior just in case something went down. She looked back as 10 came scurrying around. "What's he doing?" she said to herself and hopped down. She pulled down her skullmet and stealthily followed him.

10 walked past books that he could have read and they would have satisfied him. But he avoided them, every single one of them. "What is he looking for?" 7 asked silently as she tailed him. She could hear 10 muttering to himself, like 6 did before he died. 10 walked all the way to the twins' main room. 10 looked up at their book. "Find. Book," 10 muttered and turned the pages of the twins' book.

7 watched as 10 looked around and found the book that 6 pinned his drawing the Talisman on. A small smile came on 10's face, 7 didn't recall 10 ever smiling….at all. "Source. Found!" 10 cheered and tapped his finger on the page. 10 then looked around, like he just found out how to know what he's looking for. He scurried around the room, but he didn't find what he was desperately looking for.

10 looked up at all the shelves he could see. 7 thought he must have the greatest eyes in the world because he saw what he found from a long distance. 10 ran over to the elevator and hopped on. He pulled the lever, the elevator began to ascend to one of the shelves.

7 wondered what he found way up on the shelf. She climbed up on some of the old equipment and used her skills in parkour to reach the same shelf 10 went up to. She watched as 10 pushed over some old things left in the shelf. "What is he doing?" 7 asked herself as she watched him rummage through things.

"Source. Source," 10 kept muttering. 7 wondered why he kept muttering that same phrase as 6 had done previously. "What's he looking for?" she asked herself and peeked over at him. 10 kept muttering the phrase and kept rummaging through things. 7 realized the shelf they were on was the one that 9 hid the Talisman! "He won't find it, 9 hid it extremely- "

"SOURCE!" 10 said happily and pulled the device from its hiding place. "Way to go, 9!" 7 thought to herself sarcastically. She leaped over to the elevator, the elevator clanged loudly. 10 snapped around and looked at the elevator nothing. He must have been hearing things.

Unaware to him, 7 had quickly thrown herself under the elevator. She's never had to do it before and was lucky to not make any noise when she did. She did her best to not make a noise while she hid under the elevator. She remained quiet, listening to 10 and his doings.

"Source," 10 repeated. He started pressing some other sequence, "Code?" he asked. 7 could hear him press the same sequence again. "Code," 10 said then scurried to the elevator. "Ø. Code," 10 said sadly. What does that mean? Who's Ø? And what code? The only code was the one that the Scientist input on the Talisman. But that means that-

7's thoughts were shifted when the elevator started descending back down to the main floor. 10 hopped off with the Talisman in hand. Once 10 was clearly gone and couldn't hear from the room. 7 got out of her hiding space. She threw her spear onto a book along with her skullmet. "I have to tell 9, this _Second Generation_ is too suspicious for my liking," 7 told herself then sped off to find 9.

She ran through the old entrance and into the hallway that the Second Generation made their home. "9! 9! 9, you need to- "she started to say but she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw 9 and 13 laughing. "Hear this," she trailed off sadly and backed away.

She hoped no one would notice but 72 did, she followed 7 as she walked out. "7, hey, where are you going?" 72 asked 7. She looked at the new Stitchpunk being friendly, "Nothing, just going on a walk." 72 didn't buy the lie. "No, you saw 9 and 13. I know sadness and jealousy like the back of my hand," 72 told 7 and grabbed her arm. "What is wrong with you? You two weren't together, together?" 72 asked.

7 glanced back up at 72. 72 got the message, "Scrap." 72 looked around and saw small tracks left by 10's feet. "Hey," 72 said and went past 7, "where did 10 go?" 7 looked back, her mechanical heart speeding up. She looked over and saw 72's spear laying against the wall, 72 couldn't find out that 10 left. 7 reached over for 72's spear and snatched it. "Hey 7, where do you think-DUGH!" 72 started to say but 7 nailed her in the face with the butt of the spear.

72 fell unconscious on the floor, 7 dropped the spear. "Sorry, but secrecy is required," 7 whispered then ran off to get her spear and skullmet. She came back to the entrance, donned her skullmet and took off out the entrance.

A few hours passed, 72 woke up scratching her head. "Ugh, that was not okay. At all," 72 said and stood up. She looked out the entrance and saw that it was completely dark outside. "Hope I didn't miss all the fun," she said and walked back to the hallway. She found all the others huddled around a campfire. 9 and 13 were a little too close, extremely close. Once 16 saw 72 walk in, he assumed she came back in from a long walk.

"That's it," he said and got up, "I'm taking a walk. I can't be cooped up in here any longer." He started walking to the entrance when 19 called for him. "15, get back here!" 15 turned around annoyed. "I'm taking a walk!" he said and took off. "I'll go after him, come on 16," 85 said then hobbled after him. The three took off into the night. "I'm sure they'll be fine," 72 said and took a seat.

15, 16, and 85 walked out the entrance and far beyond into the old city ruins. "How far are we?" 85 asked 15 while 16 scurried behind them. "Far enough from that prison," 15 said and kept walking. "Why do you hate that place so much?!" 85 asked 15 and stopped. 16 scurried behind him. "It's too cozy there! Back at home, we always trained and were always on edge. Here, we're not!" 15 told 85.

85 and 15 then got into a heated argument about the Library. As they argued, 16 heard some clanking sounds amongst the rubble. "W-who's here?" 16 asked while looking out into the old city. The clanking noise got even louder, 16 started to get scared. "What is it, 16?!" 85 and 15 both yelled. 16 cowered down, he pointed to the roof of an old city.

"Dead! Dead! DEAD!" 16 screamed. 85 and 15 looked up at the old building's roof. "No, it can't be!" 85 said and jumped back. 15 was completely shocked as well. "Dead! Dead! DEAD!" 16 screamed again. They saw the dark figures jump down on the ground with a loud CLUNK. The two figures slowly walked towards them.

85 and 16 backed up against some debris. 85 looked over at 15, who looked at them then took off. "15! You coward!" 85 yelled at him. "He'll join us soon…soon…" the first dark figure whispered. The first figure looked over at their partner and gave a nod. Their partner took off after 15, it wasn't long until they heard 15's cries.

85 put 16 behind him to protect the little one, "To get him you get through me!" 85 yelled. The blackened figure chuckled and put their spear over their shoulders. "Don't worry, sit!" she commanded. 85 tilted his head at the figure. Then, he heard a beast behind him. 85 turned around. His mechanical heart must have had a heart attack.

A blackened Cat-Beast was glaring at him. "Son of a beast!" 85 said then tried to bolt it. The beast jumped him and 16. It's paws held them down, they struggled to get free. The second dark figure appeared shortly after, they were dragging 15 along. "15!" 85 yelled to his friend. 15 didn't respond. The first dark figure appeared before them, holding a strange device. "Soon, you'll be free once more. Like those others before you, taken and set free."

85 looked over at 16 and 15. "You have to get through me first!" he yelled at the figure. The figure chuckled, "As you wish." They pressed a sequence on the device then held it to 85. The device shot out at 85, the red beams of electricity broke into 85's optics. He screamed in pain as the device shocked him. 16 and 15 watched in horror as their longtime friend and mentor was dying. "I-agrhh!" 85 yelled as the device finished. 16 and 15 looked over at their friend's lifeless body, but 85's optics turned red. The blackened Cat-Beast released its grip on 85.

85 got up and walked over to the dark figures. The figures laughed, even 85, they pressed the sequence again and aimed it at 15. The same process repeated, 15 rose and joined the others. 16 squirmed in the beast's paw. "Infection! Infected!" he screamed in complete fear. The figures laughed at 16. "All in appropriate time," the first one said. The first one held the device towards 16, he closed his optics in complete fear.

The figures stopped when they heard a distant noise. "Move, get them back," the figure told the second one. The figure nodded then took off with an infected 85 and 15. "Leave this one for the beast," the first figure told the device and took off. The beast roared and snatched 16 up with its jaws. "Infected!" 16 yelled as the beast ran off with him.

The beast hopped from building to building, it hopped on the sign that -7 wrote on with ink. The beast looked around, like scouting for a leader in charge. It stopped on an old building when it saw something moving towards it. "Friend?" 16 whispered. The beast dropped 16 and put its paw on him. The beast scanned the area, it turned on its light eye then scanned for any hostiles.

The beast heard a bola and turned to see it come crashing down on its cat skull. The beast fell and tried to pull off the bola, but it couldn't pry it off. A figure came running across the old sign and leaped down on the beast. The beast tried to throw them off but failed. The figure leaped up and came down with a spear slicing the head off.

The beast fell dead, its grip on 16 faltered. 16 scurried out of the paw and looked up at the figure standing on the beast. 16 looked up at the figure. They stepped off the beast and gave him a hand. "16, are you okay?" the figure asked 16. He looked up in pure amazement and shock at who they saw. He saw Ø standing before him, the actually Ø. "Yeah, I've got a long story to explain. But not now, we should go back home. To the Safe-House, where it all began for us."


	11. Reflection

**So, looking back at how the first chapter of "** ** _The Infection"_** **and comparing to how much people have actually proceeded after has well...not very much have read on. It almost makes me want to just stop writing it seeing as it isn't going anywhere but I'll keep going for those who actually care about the time and effort I put into each and every one of these.**


	12. Chapter 9

**_"_** ** _The Infection" Chapter 8_**

 ****Ø looked down at the device, he walked over and shut it off. "I hope you know why I've been gone," he told 16. He removed his cowl, revealing a broken face. His optics were cracked, cuts covered his entire body, his wounds were stitched together crudely. 16 scurried over and picked at the wounds, Ø gave a small smile at his young brother.

"When the artillery hit, I barely managed to survive the blast," he told 16. "Hurt," 16 muttered and brushed off some dust. Ø walked over and sat down against the device, 16 followed him and sat with him.

"I've been hunting Cerberus when I met one of the originals. 7," he told 16, "I saved her from a Cat-Beast. I saw that she can defend herself so I gave her my spear and my helm. So, I donned my old cowl that the Doctor gave me when I woke up."

16 looked around the old room as Ø spoke. The place was almost falling apart, he could see small innovations that Ø made to try to keep the place in working order. Ø got up and slowly walked over to the edge of the desk, "Cerberus's out there. Hopefully he won't find the Infection Device, I hid that in a bunker along with -7 and 72. But recently I heard the Factory explode again, for the third time. I hope that the bunker wasn't discovered…"

16 looked out the window then back at Ø. "Bunker. Opened. Device. Found," he told Ø. Ø looked at him with fear in his optics. "HOW MANY!?" he yelled at 16. He cowered down, "Many, many!"

Ø ran over to the window, he saw beasts close in on the Safe-House from a distance. "We don't have much time," he told 16. He turned back to the young Stitchpunk but stopped when something caught his optics.

"10!?" he yelled happily but with also fear. 16 turned around to see 10 climbing onto the desk. He carried a device, Ø stopped dead in his tracks. "It can't be," he said and snatched it. "Device. Home," 10 told him and scurried all over the desk.

As 10 scurried all over the desk, 7 popped up not soon after. "What's going on!" she demanded. Ø shook his head, "An infection, we're all infected or lost unless you help me!" he told her. 7 lifted her skullmet when she saw who it was. She lost her aggressive nature, "Ø?" she asked. The old Stitchpunk smiled.

"Hey. Been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, too long."

"How's the life?"

"Sucks."

Ø laughed at her comment, then, his mind jumped back to the task at hand. "I'd hate to ruin our reunion but there's another threat. Far worse than the Fabrication Machine."

7 put back on her serious face, she'll have tons of time to talk with Ø later after the threat is dealt with. "Okay, so how do deal with this _infection_?" she asked him. Ø shook his head, "There's no such cure. We didn't have time to develop one, we had notes but then…"

Ø looked over at his dead creator.

7 walked over and put her hand on his shoulder, "We can find another way. Do you still retain any of the notes?" Ø nodded his head, "I still do, somewhere around here." He threw back on his cowl, "Hopefully we can save anyone that's left before Cerberus can infect them like he did 13."

7's mechanical heart stopped. "B-but 13's back at the Library? She's hanging out with 9." Ø shook his head, "13 died to Cerberus a long time ago. And 13 was a male, not female."

Shock and fear came to 7. She left 9 with a stranger!? An imposter of someone who's long dead?!

"9…the others!" she exclaimed to Ø. "This, _other_ 13 was with the others. The Second Generation, your generation!" she told him. Ø looked at her with concern, "HOW. LONG."

7 shook her head, "I don't know. Months, most likely," she told him. Ø turned to 16 and 10, "I have a plan." The two looked at him then at 7. "Let's hear it," she told him and put her hand on his shoulder. He nodded in response. Just as he was about to speak, they heard a loud roar from the outside.

7 and Ø exchanged worried looks and rushed to the open window. "What in the scrap was that!?" Ø yelled. They looked out the window and saw a large beast coming towards them, a cycloptic beast heavily armored and equipped. It had one giant glowing red eye, Ø cursed to himself. "By the creator, what did I do to deserve this?!"

"Not kissing me, jerk," 7 thought to herself.

"I can hear your thought," Ø telepathically told her. She looked over to see him smiling, "Once this is all over we can deal with the drama with you and 9," he told her telepathically. He reached behind him and pulled out his spear. Dust and grime fell off the spear, the sound of the metal rang out into the Emptiness.

"I left my notes over there," he told her pointing to stacks of small papers, "Take them and the young ones. Get to the others, save them from this _other_ 13\. I can buy you as much time as possible." 7 blinked at the idea, "What?! Leave you behind?!" she yelled at him. He shook his head, "There's something I haven't told you. Something that can't allow me near you. I can already hear it calling to me, if you stay any longer I'll lose."

7 tilted her head, "What? What is it?"

Before he could answer, another roar rang out. "We can't stay long, GO!" he ordered then leaped off. "Ø, wait!" she called after him. But it was too late, he was already gone. "Go!" she heard him echo to her. She looked over at the young Second Generation Stitchpunks. "Come on, let's go!" she ordered and pulled them along.

They booked it off the desk and out the door. They bolted from cover to cover, trying to avoid the sight of the Cyclops. As they ran, 7 was glance back at Ø fighting against the Cyclops. He wasn't doing well, the Cyclops thrashed him about the place. He got knocked into some debris and tried to escape but the beast pinned him. 7 stopped and looked at him, he noticed. "RUN!" he yelled to her.

The beast then raised its blade arm, aiming it at Ø. He raised his spear in defiance, but the blade broke it into two. 7 didn't see what happened but she knew what happened. She took the young Stitchpunks far, far away from Safe-House which was clearly not safe anymore. "Device?" 10 asked and looked to 16. "Ø. Device."

7 exchanged concerned looks with the two, "Where is it!?" 16 nodded to 10, the youngest reached inside his fabric and pulled the device out. He pressed a sequence, "Destroy. Infection."

7 nodded, "We need to get back to the Library. We have to warn them." The other nodded.

After they made their long track back to the Library, they bolted through the entrance and found 72 waiting for them. "7? 10? 16?" she called to them and grabbed her spear. "72! Status report!" 7 called to her. 72 shook her head, "Everything's fine? Why?"

7 looked at the others then back at 72. "13, that's not the original 13. She's not- she's not good." 72 looked around the corner, then back at them. She motioned for them to get closer. "She's been all over 9 since you left. That's not normal!"

"We have a new threat, something worse than the Fabrication Machine!" 7 told 72. "What?" she asked. 7 gestured for 10 to pull out the device, he showed 72 it. "Device. Infection!"

72 looked at 10 then at 7, "Infection?!" "Yeah, we need to hide. Gather up everyone and leave!" 7 told her. 10 looked up in confusion, "Cure? Hide?" 7 looked at 10 with a sad look, "Curing can't be possible unless we're not infected, right? So, we hide and wait it out."

72 scratched the back of her head, "Slight problem with that." 7 looked at her with concern, "85 and 15 are still missing. 7 looked over at 16, he cowered down, "Gone! Dead! Infected!" he screamed.

7 shook her head, "Gather everyone. We're moving." 72 nodded then took off into the rest of the Library calling out to the others. Not long after, everyone who was still alive met up at the entrance. "What's wrong?" 9 asked 7. 13 was clinging to his arm, she pulled out her spear and separated her from him.

She backed 13 up against the wall, "Who are you?!" she demanded. 13 looked at the others from help, 19 stepped up. "7, calm down! What's wrong?" 7 snapped back to him, "This isn't 13, this is some fake copy! The original 13 died a long time ago, some Stitchpunk gone evil named Cerberus infected him and killed him!"

The others stared at 13, "I-I can explain!" 7 threw her on the ground, "Explain before I end you!" Water came out of 13's optics, she was crying.

"I-I was made by Cerberus to infiltrate the Second Generation. To infect you, but I rebelled! I couldn't harm you, any of you! Even when I met the originals, I fell in love." She turned to 9, "I couldn't harm you. I'm sorry I lied to you, but you would have killed me if I told you!"

7 pressed the blade against 13's neck, "Just do it…end it all…" 7 raised the spear, but 9 grabbed it. "Stop! We won't hurt her!" he told 7. She looked at him with fury in her optics, "Hurt her!? It's not love, 9! I even thought I felt love around you! But it's a lie! It wasn't real! What she thinks she feels isn't real!" 9 let go, "We don't just kill them! She could have hurt us but she didn't!" he exclaimed.

"Beasts! Inbound!" 72 yelled and readied her spear. Anyone else who could fight readied their weapons. "Incoming!" 72 yelled and hit the deck as did the others. Something came crashing down in front of them. 10 was the first to look up and gasped.

7 looked up and her mechanical heart nearly broke into two pieces.

Ø's spear was lodged into the ground, his cloak around it in tatters.

"No!" she screamed and rushed to the spear. "7! No, wait!" 9 called out. As she got up to the spear, she saw five figures walking to her.

"This should be fun, brother."

"Indeed, sister."

"What do you saw, Cerberus?"

7 looked down at the demonic, evil looking Cerberus. He carried his own unique weapon, a scythe. "It was about time Ø met his fate. He's been escaping me for quite some time. He even sent that lout 20 to stop me. He did stop my first plan, resurrecting the Fabrication Machine. But, he didn't stop my second plan. Starting the infection through dead comrades."

The Second Generation rose and came to 7's side to support her. "Hello, I don't think we ever got to meet before our creator had your greatest warriors to hunt me down. As you can see, that failed. Leaving them broken and frail," the last line he directed to 12 and 19.

"One barely functioning," he said when he saw 24 slowly walk over to see the enemy. "Oh, and left one to hunt me until his doom as you can see," he said pointing to Ø's spear and cloak. "He was like a brother, our creator even compared us once to Michael and Lucifer. Me being Lucifer and him being Michael," he said walking up the steps with his bodyguards.

7 and the Second Generation backed up, "48, get them out of here!" 7 whispered to 48. He nodded then lead them back into the Library to find another way out. "Why infect us?" 7 asked him, "What does that accomplish besides making us slaves?"

Cerberus laughed, "Because I'm purifying you, of evil. You see what I'm doing as evil but it's really not." He continued on with his explanation, "The beasts serve me, they don't harm me because of what I've done. We can use that to rebuild what Humanity destroyed!"

7 got thinking on what he was saying, but the main thing that held her back was the fact he killed Ø. He called him weak and foolish. Ø was none of that, or was he?

"He did abandon everyone he cared about to go on this personal vendetta…I mean, he did shun everyone out."

"You're thinking about my offer," Cerberus said. 7 looked down at him, "I'm thinking," she told him. "You're thinking about hi abandon everyone he ever cared for just to hunt me down, he shunned them." She looked down at him with surprise. "How did you- "

He tapped his head, "I can read your mind, or soul technically." "Like Ø," he told her, "One of the benefits of being a first-born. Getting all the good things that the second-born never got to get." "Why did he have to die?" 7 asked him, Cerberus only laughed. "All in appropriate time, so do we have a deal?"

7 looked to the others, "If we can save everyone else and fix Humanity's mistake, I'm in," 72 told her. The others didn't have the same thoughts, "If we didn't lose free will then I would be in," 19 told her.

7 nodded understandingly. "I'm sorry, we don't have a deal," she told Cerberus. He shook his head, "You'll regret that," he said and raised his hand. Beasts emerged from hiding, blackened Cat-Beasts. The Infected mounted the Cat-Beasts and pulled out spears, axes, and bolas.

"That can't be good," 12 said and backed up. "Well," 7 said with her spear ready.

"Getting ready for one heck of a fight."


	13. Chapter 10

**_"_** ** _The Infection" Chapter 9_**

"Sick'em!" Cerberus commanded. The Cat-Beasts roared then leaped onto the steps, they chased after their prey. "Come and get us!" 12 yelled and readied her spear. The beast with 20 locked onto her.

"Oh scrap," she exclaimed as the beasts charged. 7 waved her hand around, "Fall back! Fall back! FALL BACK!" she ordered. 19 scooped up 12 and set her behind her. He held his giant blade to counter the beast. "12, go!" he ordered as he dodged the beast's swipe. "Stay alive," she told them then took off.

The beasts began to circle 19. He stood alone. "You want some of this?! Come get it!" he taunted them and swung his blade at the beast's paw. It backed up, snarled then started swiping with its claws. -7's beast and herself watched 19 try to fight 20's beast.

The beast pounced to the wall, its claws dug deep into the wall as it wall ran around 19. He pulled down his old helm, "Come on, come on!" he yelled at 20. The beast turned around to look at the rest of the Library's interior. It watched the others flee deeper and deeper into the Library, close to where 2 was sent off to the Sewer.

"Come on, coward!" 19 yelled and charged at him. 19 slashed the blade at the beast's back paws, it fell to the floor flailing around. 20 fell beneath the beast, 19 ran over to the beast's head and sliced it off. It stopped flailing around, he waited for 20 to rise but the old Stitchpunk never did.

He turned to -7. "You want a beating, too?" he asked and raised his blade. He started to walk over, -7 whispered something to her mount then hopped off. After she did, the beast took off to the Library's deep interior. He raised his blade, she readied her spear. She pulled off her armor, piece by piece.

19 removed his helm, his gear shoulder plates and tossed them all away. "What's the point of fighting? It doesn't even matter, not all will survive," -7 taunted him. The walked around in a circle, "We'll make it, we'll cure whatever happened to you."

She shook her head, "No cure, many tried." "There's always a cure," he told her and raised his blade. She dropped her spear, "If you truly wish to cure me then you'll kill me." He lowered his blade, "I won't, I can't, we can save you if you allow us," he told her. He offered her his hand, "Come on, you can fight this infection," he told her.

She shook her head, "Cause too much pain, infected others, no redemption." He dropped his blade and crouched down next to her. "There's always redemption," he told her, she held out her hand to take his. "You probably shouldn't have done that," she chuckled.

19 was confused on what she meant, just as he turned around he felt an excruciating pain. He looked down and saw a spear penetrating his chest. He started to cough up his soul, he fell to his knees. "Should have made sure I was dead," 20 told him and kicked the spear, penetrating 19's mechanical heart. He fell to the floor and did not move again, 20 picked up 19's old blade. -7 got up and retrieved her spear.

7 led the others down the stairs to the main hall, "Come on!" she ordered. The others came scurrying inside just as a beast came at them. She knocked a book over to block the path. The others were panting, "When did these things get so fast?" 11 asked in a near panic. "They've never been this fast before!" 7 told them as the beast tried to get through the barrier. "Room! Safe!" 10 exclaimed and tugged on 7's shoulder. She turned to him and saw him pointing to a small hole in the wall where they could hide.

"Everyone, to the safe-room!" she called to them just as the barrier fell. A flurry of Cat-Beasts came pouring in, along with a few of the spider-bots from the Factory. 7 focused on getting to the safe-room, she couldn't hear anything over the roar of the beasts.

When 7 reached the safe-room she grabbed a book and threw it over the hole. "7! Wait!" she heard 11 call but it was too late. The book covered the hole. 7's last glimpse of 11 was as a beast's claw came crashing down on him. 7 turned around and leaned against the book, she slowly slid down and sat against it.

She closed her optics and took deep breaths in and out. When she opened them up, she saw only 10, 12, 72, 9, and 13. "Where are the others?" 9 asked. 7 looked down at the ground. "They're gone. 19, 11, 48, and 72. The twins including 16 are hiding under the cloth," 12 told her and pulled up the cloth. The twins were cowering behind 16 who was rambling madness.

"The beasts can't get through, I don't think the infected will try either, but we can't stay here forever," 7 told them. "We can," 12 responded, "We don't eat or drink like Humans once did." 7 rolled her optics. "Still, this infection will destroy everything. We once brought machines down, we can do it again," 9 told them. "But we still don't have a cure for the infection," 13 explained.

"Cure, cure, simple," 10 rambled and reached inside the cloth tent. He yanked out 16, whispered something to him. They both scurried around and found a bottle of ink. They dipped their fingers in it and started drawing on the wall.

"What are they doing?" 13 asked as she tried to see what they were drawing. "I have gotten a single clue," 7 agreed with her. Once 10 and 16 were done, they scurried behind the others as they looked upon what they made. It was a cryptogram that highly resembled the Talisman under it were the words: _To save them you must cleanse the corruption at its core_

"Anyone understand this?" 7 and 9 asked at the same time. 13 sighed, a sorrowful expression came across her face. "But I do."

All the others looked to 13. She just kept looking down as they stared at her. "It means in order to save you, you must take away what is corrupted so it can be purified."

They all looked at her, their mechanical minds slowly realizing what she means. "We have to suck out the soul," she stated. 7 noticed the twins came out of hiding. 3 reached inside their fabric and pulled out the Talisman. 7 didn't recall when they hid it but it didn't matter now.

"It's what happened to cure the Original 13, I was made as a mere copy since his passing but with his soul," she further explained to them. She took the device and gave it to 9. "I have a corrupted soul, I can feel it echoing at what little purity I have left. Slowly burning away until I become one of them, like Cerberus and the others," she told him.

"Here's the sequence, we don't have much time left," she told him and motioned the sequence for 9. "13," 7 cut in but 13 waved her hand to stop 7 from continuing. "I've made up my mind, plus my story has already been on its way to end for a while now. Someone's just now finishing it," she told them.

9 pressed the sequence and held the Talisman to her. It shot out and went into 13, they watched as the Talisman sucked out the soul. After it was done, 13's body dropped down. 12 and 72 caught her, smoke poured from 13's wide open optics, they set her down gently on the ground. "She's gone, like the others," 12 said as 72 helped her up. The others looked to 9 and 7 for direction.

"We take them on, or go down trying," 9 told them.


End file.
